A wireless device in communication with a communication system can enter a low power or idle mode, for example, to conserve network resources as well as to conserve power storage on the wireless device. When the wireless device is in idle mode, the wireless device typically is not in continuous or active communication with the communication system. In order to notify a wireless device which is in idle mode of the arrival or availability of data for the wireless device, a last known network connection of the wireless device can be stored in the communication system. For example, a controller node, such as a mobility management entity or other controller element of the communication system, can store a last known access node with which the wireless device was in communication. Further, access nodes can be organized into groups of access nodes which can be used to send a notification to the wireless device in the event that the wireless device cannot be located at the last known access node. Examples of such access node groups comprise a tracking area and a routing area. A wireless device can notify the communication system when it moves to a new tracking area by sending a tracking area update or similar message. Tracking area update messages consume network resources, and as a number of tracking area update messages increase, the consumption of network resources increases as well.